Carton-blank-feeding machine



E. G. JURGENS El' AL 1 CARTON BLANK FEEDING MACHINE Filed Dec. 22. 1924 4 Sheets-'Sheet 2 frat/emr@ EMIL G JRGEN;

AND

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4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed DGO. 22. 1924 EMIL G JRGEN.;

@y H RKEHECZD I Patented Oct. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL G. JRGENS AND H KIRKE BECKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO :PETERS MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLI- NOIS.

CARTON-BLANKFEEDING MACHINE.

Application filed December 22, 1924. Serial No. 757,421. y

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that we, EMIL G. JURGENS and H Krenn BECKER, citizens of the United States of America, and residents of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Carton-Blank-Feeding Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a mechanism for feeding carton blanks and the lining paper for the cartons to a machine for folding the blanks and lining sheets into cartons, ready for receiving whatever is to be packed in the cartons.

The objects of the invention are to provlde improved means for separating and feeding the paper or cardboard blanks one at a time from the bottom of a vertical stack and to provide improved means for feeding and cutting the carton lining paper from a roll of paper including means for holding the paper stationary during the cutting operation while permitting the continuous drive of the paper feed rollers.

rlhese objects are acco-mplished by the con-- struct-ion as illustrated in the drawings wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the entire structure as viewed from the direction opposite to that which the blanks are fed, one by one, to a suitable folding machine.

Fig. 2 is another perspective view taken from the direction in which the blanks are fed to the carton folding mechanism.

Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a longitudinal section of the machine.

Fig. l is a fragmentary plan View of the supporting mechanism.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary View n side elevation showing the construction of the separating discs. Y

Fig. 6 is a plan view of one of the separating discs.

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of one of the separating discs.

Fig. 8 is a detail illustrating how the blade portion of the disc separates the lowermost blank from the stack of blanks.

The principal elements of the structure illustrated include a suitable frame work within which is mounted a vertical guidewa-y for a stack of carton blanks. This stack rests upon a feeding device located at its lower edges. These feeding devices are preferably rotary disc shaped elements only a portion of their peripheries extending underneath the stack of carton blanks. Each of these disc shaped elements is slotted radially and along the radial slot of each is a blade or ledge located slightly above the horizontal plane of the up-per surface of the disc, so that during the rot-ation of the discs these blades will pass between the lowermost carton blank and the one immediately above the lowermost blank, causing the lowermost blank to be cut from the stack and dropped onto a conveyer which serves to carry the separated blank to a receiving means such as al reciprocating table on the carton folding macl'iine, not illustrated.

The separating discs are preferably arranged in pairs on each side ofthe stack of blanks, the members of each pair rotating inwardly towards each other by means of suitable connecting gearing, and for the purpose of counteracting the dragging action of any one disc which otherwise might have a tendency to twist the lowermost blank out of alinement with the conveying belt.

The device is provided with a single drive for rotating the separating discs, two belt conveyers, one of which receives the carton blanks and another of which receives sheets of carton lining paper serving to place the lining sheet on each carton blank as it is delivered from the machine. The carton lining paper is led from a roll of paper mounted on the upper end of the machine to its respective conveyer belt by a pair of rollers mounted upon an oscillating frame. 'lhis frame is oscillated intermittently giving it a motion backward with respect to the direction of feed of the paper at the time of operation of a cutting knife, so as to compensate for the continuous feed of the paper under the action of the feed rollers and hold the paper stationary during the cutting operation.

The purpose of this general plan of construction is to avoid difficulties which are encountered with other arrangements for feeding the cartons.

The machine may be used for feeding carton blanks of any desired thickness because the blades on the separating discs are adjustable toward and away vfrom the separating surfaces of the discs.

The construction as above generally outlined is indicated by numerals on the drawings, the frame 1 being shown as supporting the vertical guide members 2 for receiving` a stack of carton blanks 3. This frame also supports a drive shaft 4 carrying the main drive sprocket 5. Also journaled in the frame are shafts 6 and 7 extending transversely of the machine below the guide members 2 and serving to transmit motion respectively to the separator elements 8 to 11 and to a belt conveyer 12 extending londitudinally of the machine and also below tie stack of cartons. The shaft 6 receives niotion from the shaft 4 through the intermediate shaft 13 (Fig. 1) and shaft 7 re` ceives motion from the `shaft 6 through the gears 14. The carton separating elements 8 to 11 are each carried upon a vertical shaft 15, these shafts being suitably journaled in the frame, and carrying at their lower ends spiral gears 16 meshing with the spiral pinions 17 upon shaft 6. lVith this arrangement the separating discs 8 to 11 rotate inwardly toward each other, one neutralizing the friction of the other on the blanks. rThe construction of these separating discs is illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 which are respectively top and bottom plans. Each disc is provided with a radial slot 18 through which the edges of separated blanks pass during the rotation of the separators. These slots spiral downwardly as indicated in Fig. 5, the radial edge 19 of the slots being in the form of a blade slightly spaced above the normal horizontal upper surface of the separating discs. The discs are formed from steel or other resilient material, in order to provide for adjustment of the edges of the blades 19 away from the plane of the surface of the disc. This adjustment is provided for by Set screws 20. rThe upper surface of the separating discs are preferably slightly tapered downwardly from their inner edges to their outer edges and the stack of carton blanks rests upon these tapered' surfaces of the disc. The weight of the stack, therefore, causes the lowermost carton to rest at one point upon each disc and curve downwardly slightly, bringing its edge somewhat clear of the next blank above it. The points 21 of blades 19, therefore, easily and accurately enter between the two lowermost blanks, causing the lowest blank to ride through the spiral slot 18 and be deposited upon the conveyer 12. This conveyer is timed properly to carry the separated blank into the folding machine so that the conveyer is clear when the next blank is dropped thereon. The separating discs are preferably provided with rollers 22 to reduce the friction between the separating discs and the carton blanks.

It is desirable to feed with each carton blank a sheet of lining paper over the blank so that when the blank is folded into carton form the lining will be folded with it.

This is done merely by depositing upon the separated blank a piece of lining paper as the blank leaves the separating mechanism and travelsV into the folding mechanism. For this purpose the frame 1 supports a roll of lining paper 35 as shown at the top of Figs. 1, 2, and 3, from which roll the web of paper passes between the feed rollers 23 and 24 carried by a frame 25 which may oscillate slightly around the transverse shaft 26. Rollers 23 and 24 are geared together, as shown in'Fig. 3, and receive their rotary motion from the main shaft 4 though the gearing 27, also shown in this figure. A reciprocating knife 28 cuts the paper at .the proper time, and it is during this cutting opera-tion that the frame 25 is oscillated toward the left (Fig. 3), in order to hold the paper stationary during the cutting operation, irrespective of the continued rotation of rollers 23 and 24. rllhe knife is operated by a cam 29 carried by a shaft 3() and coacting with a roller 31 carried on the end of the supporting arm 36 for the knife. Shaft 30 is driven from shaft 4 through the gears 32. This shaft also carries a cam 33 for oscillating the paper feed roller frame 25 during the cutting operation. The portion of the paper cut from the paper web is carried forward and deposited on the separated carton blank leaving the machine by conveyer 34.

1n the operation of the machine, a stack of carton blanks is placed between the guideways 2, the lower edge of the stack resting upcn the four separator discs 8, 9, 10, and 11. The rotation of these discs through the gearing connection with the drive shaft 4 causes the separating discs to rotate inwardly toward each other, the blades 19 thereof simultaneously engaging the lowermost blank, and causing it to ride downwardly through the spiral slot 18 in the separators. rlhe separated blank is deposited on the conveyer 12 and carried to the right (Fig. 5) onto a separate conveyer or reciprocating table, not shown, but which forms part ofthe carton folding mechanism. rllhe lining paper for the carton is at the same time cut from the web by knife 28, the feed rollers 23 and 24 rocking rearwardly at this time, in order to hold the paper in place during the operation.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered or omitted without departing from the spirit of this invention as defined by the following claims.

We claim:

1. A paper or card-board feeding mechanism of the class described comprising a frame, said frame being provided with a vertical guideway for a. stack of card-board blanks, a plurality of rotary separators located near the lower end of said guideway in the posit-ion to support a stack of carto-n blanks, said separators being arranged for rotation on vertical axes and being provided with means for engaging the lowermost carton blank and moving it downwardly away from the remainder of the stack, said separators being each provided with a radially extending blade located above the normal horizontal plane of the separator.

2. A feeding mechanism comprising a vertical guideway, a separating disc located near one side at the bottom of said guideway in position to support a stack of blanks in said guideway, said separating disc being arranged to rotate on a vertical axis and being provided with a radial slot whereby the blanks may pass through said slot, one at a time, during rotation of the disc, said disc being provided with a blade extending along one edge of said radial slot and slightly above the normal plane of said disc, and means for rotating said disc.

3. A feeding mechanism comprising a vertical guideway, a separating disc located adjacent the lower end of said guideway in position to support a stack of blanks in said guideway, said disc being rotatable on a vertical axis and being provided with a radial slot whereby the blanks may pass through said disc during rotation of said disc, a blade extending along one edge of said radial slot, and means for vertically adjusting said blade relative to the normal plane of said disc.

4. A feeding mechanism comprising a vertical guideway, a separating disc located advertical axis and being provided with al radial slot whereby the blanks may pass through said disc during rotation of said disc, a blade extending along one edge of said radial slot, and a set screw mounted on said disc and bearing against said blade for vertically adjusting said blade relative to the normal plane of said disc.

5. A feeding mechanism comprising a vertical guideway, a separating disc located near one side at the bottom of said guideway in position to support a stack of blanks in said guideway, said separating disc being arranged to rotate on a vertical axis and being provided with a radial slot whereby the blanks may pass through said slot one at a time during rotation of the disc, said disc being provided with a blade extending along one edge of said radial slot and slightly above the normal plane of said disc, the surface of said disc being tapered downwardly from its inner suface to its outer edge, and means for rotating said disc.

6. A feeding mechanism comprising a vertical guideway, a separating disc located near one side at the bottom of said guideway in position to support a stack of blanks in said guideway, said separating disc being arranged to rotate on a vertical axis and being provided with a. radial slot whereby the blanks may pass through said slot, one at a time, during the rotation of the disc, said slot passing downwardly through the disc in a spiral, widening at the lower end thereof, and means for rotating said disc.

Signed at Chicago this 13th day of December 1924.

jacent the lower end of said guideway in position to support a stack of blanks in said guideway, said disc being rotatable on a EMIL G. JU RGENS. H KIRKE BECKER. 

